


Hero Shots and Octo Shots

by squiddcandy



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Drabble, F/F, Fluff, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-09-24 12:10:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squiddcandy/pseuds/squiddcandy
Summary: A collection of one shots, no real plot, just cute fluffy drabbles about Agent 3 and Agent 8. Most of these are inspired by prompts I found on tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

Eight stared at the machine, trying to figure out how it worked. Inkling technology was a nightmare; Octo tech was straightforward, press a button, shift a lever, turn a knob. This thing in front of her though? _Ten_ buttons. And *four* knobs! And she still had trouble with written Inkling so she had only managed to turn the thing on so far. She had no idea what a....ca - caffee...oh lit? She had no idea what that was. And why did a coffee maker need steam? This was ridiculous. She just wanted simple coffee. 

"You alright in there Eight?" Three called from the living room. 

"Umm." She pressed a button. It made an odd noise and then steam flew out of a thin metal rod she hadn't noticed. "Eep! What the hell is wrong with this thing?" 

Eight heard a chuckle from the other room, and a moment later Three poked her head into the kitchen doorway.

"Did you set it to Wumbo?"

"To _what_?"

"Wumbo!" Three said matter-of-factly, as if it was basic knowledge. "Ya know, Wumbo! Big wumbo, little wumbo, wumbology, the study of wumbo! It's first grade!"

Eight was so confused. Was that really a thing? She glanced back at the coffee maker. None of the buttons seemed to say..... wumbo..... what on earth kind of setting was it? She looked back at Three, who was making a strange face.

"What?" Eight said. 

Suddenly Three burst into laughter, so much so that she was wheezing and clutching her stomach. Eight felt her face get hot with embarrassment.

"Oh my cod!" Three wheezed. "Your face! You should've seen your face! Hahahahaha!"

A trick then. Eight glanced at her mug before putting it down and walking away. Three was still laughing when she realized Eight was leaving.

"Wait!" Three said still giggling. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry okay?"

Three grabbed Eight by the waist and pulled her into a hug. Eight could still feel her shoulders shaking as she giggled. Eight buried her face in Three's shoulder, her ears still burning with embarrassment.

"That was mean." Eight said, her voice muffled by Three's shirt.

"Aww, I'm sorry. I'm just teasing. Do you still want coffee?"

"No. What does it even need steam for anyway?"

Three shrugged. "Milk I think. I don't know, I never use it." Three looked down at her girlfriend, who was giving her a coy look.

"You should make it up to me," Eight said, tugging on the ends of her tentacles. "For being so mean I mean."

Three grinned, swooping Eight up and carrying her towards their room. "I can think of a few things that might fit the bill."


	2. Sonnet 75

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another one shot, this time, Eight tries to do something romantic! Three doesn't know how to act! Four and Marie help!

It was a sunny and breezy day at Tentakeel Outpost. Eight watched Three and Four run training drills in front of the cabin. They're accuracy and speed was impressive, even from an Octarian standard. No wonder they managed solo missions so well. She grinned as the two agents emptied their ink tanks and walked over to where she and Marie were sitting.

"You guys are pretty good with those Hero Shots."

Four grinned. "Hey thanks! I still prefer the Hero Brush, but it's got its uses!"

Three rolled her eyes as she sat down next to Eight. "A _good_ agent should be well rounded in using all types of weapons."

"Oh my, you almost sound like Sheldon!" Eight teased. Marie groaned at the mention of the quirky weapons crafter.

"Don't, if you say his name three times he'll appear and start rambling about schematics. Everyone within a mile radius will die a horrible death from their ears bleeding." Marie deadpanned. 

Four snickered as she took her vest off. "I would think you'd be used to him by now Marie." 

"No one could get used to that. He talks a mile a minute and yet somehow manages to talk for three hours."

"Aww, it's not that bad. I find it rather soothing" Eight said. 

Three scoffed. "Of course you do," she said as she switched from her Hero Boots to her street shoes. "You clean all your weapons before bed each night. I'm surprised he hasn't hired you for the shop as much as you listen to him gab."

"Well," Marie interjected, "I don't know about you three, but I'm starving."

"Oh, there's a new pizza spot I wanted to check out!" Four said kicking her boots off. 

"Ugh, I swear to cod Four, if you order fucking pineapple on that pizza -" Three started, but Eight quickly slapped her hand to Three's mouth before speaking herself.

"Actually, Three and I won't be joining you. I'm cooking dinner!"

"Hyur wut" Three said, her voice still muffled by Eight's hand.

"Aww, Eight! That's so sweet!" Four squealed. 

"I don't know, it's kind of wasted on Three though. She's not very, how should I say it, romantic" Marie said. She suddenly grabbed Four by the hand and dragged her towards the grate back to Inkopolis Square. "Well, you two enjoy yourselves!" She said, barely giving Four the chance to wave before disappearing.

"So," Three said, moving Eight's hand, "what's this about dinner?"

***

Three sat in awe at the plate of food before her. It looked almost restaurant quality; chicken, with cubed red potatoes, string beans and rice. Eight anxiously watched her from across the table, which was set with a tablecloth, candles, and a vase of flowers from cod only knew where. Three couldn't recall ever having a dinner this nice in her life. 

"Well?" Eight asked shyly.

"Where did you even get all this stuff? I didn't think you even knew how to cook." Eight flushed a dark purple in embarrassment. Fuck, Three thought, mentally kicking herself. That had come out way worse than she had intended.

"Ah, well, um. I wanted to do something special for you and so I asked Marina to teach me, and uh, Pearl, she said, um, she said you can't have a super fancy romantic dinner without like, candles and stuff." Eight stammered, twirling her tentacles around her fingers. 

"Well it looks great!" Three said, a little too loudly if the way Eight just cringed was any indication. _And now I've overdone it and she probably thinks I hate it_, Three thought. God, Marie was right, this romance shit really was wasted on her. 

"Umm. Let's just eat okay?"

Three nodded and took a bite. It was actually pretty good! Certainly better than most of the take out she usually ate. Eight was watching her again. Three gave her a thumbs up, which made her giggle. _What the fuck was that, a thumbs up? Really Three? You're so pathetic_, she thought to herself. But Eight was finally starting to relax and eat.

After dinner, Eight brought out a cake. It was lopsided and had too much icing, but it was a cake _that she had made herself_. Three could've cried just thinking about it. Why oh why had this silly Octoling gone through all this effort for her? She made her a goddamned cake! While Eight was in the kitchen slicing the cake, Three snuck out her phone and furiously started texting Four. 

**T: Four! Help me! She made a cake!**  
**F: What? Who?**  
**T: EIGHT! Marina taught her how to make a fucking cake, what do I do?!**  
**F: **Wait a minute, she made you dinner AND a cake???**  
** **T: YES, and there were candles and flowers and a TABLECLOTH**  
**F: That's so romantic omg!**  
**F: I wish someone would make me dinner and cake**  
**T: FOUR**  
** F: and wait, why is a tablecloth a big deal?**  
**T: FOUR PLEASE**  
**F: oh right, you're asking me for help!**

"Hey, Three?"

Three scrambled to hide her phone, nearly dropping it. "Yeah?" She said, hoping she didn't look guilty. "What's up babe?"

Eight gave her a questioning look. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah!" Three responded quickly, her voice at least two octaves too high. _Calm down you idiot!_ she thought to herself. Her phone buzzed in her hand, making her jump. 

"Um. Did you want ice cream too?" Eight asked, a worried look in her eyes. Eight wondered if maybe this had been too much. 

"Sure! Ice cream's great!" Her phone buzzed again.

"...okay. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, totally, completely, absolutely okay. Everything is magical."

Eight went back to the kitchen, tossing a last worried glance at the Inkling before leaving. Three whipped her phone out to see several messages from Four, and one from Marie.

**F: Okay. I totally have no idea what the fuck to do so I'm asking Marie.**  
**F: She says "you might wanna consider doing something romantic back"**  
**F: That's not really helpful though, hold on.**  
**F: wait, isn't Eight into like, poetry or something? Can you sing??? I'm telling Marie.**

Three rolled her eyes. Of course Four was no help, what had she been thinking asking her and not literally anyone else. She opened Marie's text, which had a single line:

**M: read this to her and don't fuck it up**. It was followed by a screenshot of some kind of historical themed webpage with what Three presumed was a poem on it. 

Three quickly memorized the poem, right as Eight was returning with their dessert. 

***

Eight laid in bed worrying. Three did not react the way Pearl said she would! In fact she had acted so strangely that Eight didn't really know what to think. She concluded that dinner was a disaster though. Normally Three didn't mind when she did small romantic gestures, but clearly dinner had been too much. She would have to apologize once Three got in the bed. 

The bedroom door opened and in walked Three, wearing the oversized shirt and shorts combo she normally wore to bed, her tentacles shining slightly from the dampness of the shower. Eight scooted over in the bed to make room for the inkling. 

"Three -" she started.

"Shh" Three whispered, nuzzling her. "I know I kinda freaked on you. I'm sorry okay?"

"Three..."

"Shh. You didn't do anything wrong." 

Eight blushed at being known so well. Three pulled her into a tight embrace. Eight could hear her hearts beating as Three pressed the Octoling's head to her chest. Eight sighed in relief; Three's heart rhythm was her favorite sound, second only to Three's voice. She was starting to drift off to sleep when she heard Three speaking softly. 

_"So are you to my thoughts as food to life,"_ Three whispered.  
_"Or as sweet-season'd showers are to the ground;_  
_And for the peace of you I hold such strife_  
_As 'twixt a miser and his wealth is found."_

"Three?" Eight whispered. "What are you-", Three just shushed her again, softly kissing her forehead and stroking her face.

_"Now proud as an enjoyer,"_ Three continued, _"and anon_  
_Doubting the filching age will steal his treasure;"_  
_"Now counting best to be with you alone,_  
_Then better'd that the world may see my pleasure:"_

She trailed off. "Fuck, what was the rest of it" she muttered. Eight was completely still, waiting for her to remember. "Okay wait, I got it." Three said.

_"Sometime"_, she took a breath.  
_"Sometime all full with feasting on your sight_,  
_And by and by clean starved for a look;_  
_Possessing or pursuing no delight_  
_Save what is had, or must from you be took._  
_Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day,_  
_Or gluttoning on all, or all away."_

"Three", Eight breathed. "That was amazing."

Three cleared her throat. "Well" she said thickly, "after all the wonderful crap you did with making dinner and then dessert, I mean come on, you made me a fucking cake, a cake! Like why would you even do something so amazing for me like-" Three snapped her beak shut with an audible click. She took a breath and spoke slowly. "Anyway, I had to do _something_."

Eight smiled up at her, love shining out of every inch of her. More literally than normal, as her tentacles were glowing softly. 

"See, you can do romantic things Three! Seriously a romantic poem in bed after dinner? I love you so much."

Three laughed. "Okay, I have to admit I uh, didn't do it on my own. Marie helped me."

"So? Marina and Pearl helped me."

"Well in that case, I'm taking full credit."

Eight laughed before kissing her. Three kissed her back, and then climbed on top of her. "Okay, now for something decidedly _less_ romantic," Three said with a devilish grin. Eight laughed some more, and then Three was kissing her again and again and again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this ended up a lot longer than I was expecting! Hope you guys enjoy!


	3. Singing in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight and Three go on a picnic! They get rained out though, and the buses aren't running! And Three hates getting wet.

"I've never been on a picnic before!" Eight said, plopping down on the checkered blanket Three had laid out on the grass. Three sat a wicker basket next to her before sitting down herself.

"Yeah, Four actually suggested it. Which is surprising since she, like, never has good ideas."

"Oh Three stop it, Four has plenty of great ideas!"

"Uh huh. Great ideas like riding the Death Drop rollercoaster after two Giant Schwaffles?" Three said as she pulled wrapped sandwiches from the basket. Two bottles of Kingfish Cola followed, as well as a large bag of chips and a plastic container that was full of fruit. Eight was impressed. 

"Wow! This looks amazing Three!"

Three blushed bright orange. "I-it's just some sandwiches and snacks."

Eight grinned at her, her tentacles glowing slightly. "I still love it silly!"

"You're out here gushing over sandwiches but I'm the silly one?"

"Yes!"

Three snorted, failing to suppress a smile. "Shut up and eat. And unwrap it first!"

Eight scoffed indignantly. "That was *one* time!"

Three's laughter rang through the park as they began eating.

***

Three was munching on a cube of watermelon when she felt something on drop onto her head. Looking up she saw the sky had gone gray, and another drop of water pelted her on the nose.

"Aw fuck."

Eight looked up as more raindrops began to fall. "Oh no! The picnic!"

The two scrambled to gather everything back into the basket as the rain started in earnest. Eight squealed as they ran for cover under a bus stop cover, thoroughly soaked. Three cursed as she looked over the bus map. The next bus wouldn't be for at least ten more minutes. That was if.....

"Ah, son of an Eel!" 

"What's wrong?" Eight asked. Three shook her head. 

"I just realized the bus isn't coming. The drivers are on strike remember?"

"Oh! Well I mean, it's for better pay right?"

"Yeah. That's a good thing, they deserve better pay, but it means we're going to get fucking soaked if we try to walk home."

"Is that really so bad?" Eight said. Three groaned. 

"No! I hate getting wet. Besides, maybe we can wait it out."

Eight shook her head, grinning. She grabbed Three by the hand, and swung the basket in the other. 

"Come on Three! Let's just go now! It'll be like that old movie we watched the other day! Singing in the rain!"

"Eight -"

"Come on!" Eight tugged her along into the deluge, laughing and swinging the basket like a magical girl cartoon. Three was getting soaked, but Eight's joy was infectious and she could feel her irritation slipping. Eight suddenly broke out into the song from the movie she'd mentioned.

"_I'm singin' in the rain!_  
_Just singin' in the rain_  
_What a glorious feeling_  
_I'm happy again!_"

Eight grabbed Three's other hand, and began spinning her around. "Eight, wait-" Three began, but the Octoling ignored her and kept singing.

"_I'm laughin' at clouds_  
_So dark up above_  
_The sun's in my heart_  
_And I'm ready for love!_  
_Let the stormy clouds chase_  
_Everyone from the place!_"

Three couldn't help but laugh as Eight pulled her in close and they two stepped together down the sidewalk, spinning and dipping to the song.

"_Come on with the rain,_  
_I've a smile on my face!_  
_I'll walk down the lane_  
_With a happy refrain!_"

Three joined her then, and they practically shouted,

"_Just singin'!_  
_Siiiiiiiingin' in the RAIN!_" 

They burst into laughter then, and ran the rest of the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit short, especially after the long one I posted last! But the prompt was too cute to pass up!


	4. A Surprise for Eight!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three loses a bet to Four, but instead of making her do something embarrassing, she sets up a surprise for Eight!

"I hate you."

"Come on Three, you lost the bet fair and square!" Four said, shifting through various dresses on the store rack. The two agents were in one of the midlevel boutiques in Booyah Base. Four had never been to the mall, and Three had somehow been talked into being her guide. 

"Fuck you Four," the orange Inkling hissed, glaring at her yellow haired friend, who, frankly, would be Salmonid chum right now if it were up to her. "I didn't agree to this."

Four grinned like the evil bastard pixie cephalopod she was. "Oh yes you did. You agreed to do, and I quote, 'whatever stupid shit' I came up with if I could eat six Triple Fried Galactic Shwaffles in a row without getting sick!"

Three wanted to strangle her. "I'm going to kill you." 

Four held up a hanger that had criminally small scraps of fabric masquerading as a dress. "Look, all I ask is you buy something new to wear to the other half of my deal! Besides, I've never seen you in anything but that smelly hoodie. Your wardrobe could use an upgrade."

"My hoodie is not _smelly_ and there's no way I'm spending--" Three glanced at the price tag and grimaced, "--that amount of money on something that doesn't even qualify as a napkin."

"Oh come on!" Four chirped, lifting another dress and putting it back. "Besides, I bet your _girlfriend_ would appreciate it." She waggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. Three blushed at the thought of Eight seeing her in something so ridiculous. 

"E-eight doesn't care what I wear!"

"Oh ho, sleep in the nude to make for the mood do we?"

Three sputtered at that before shoving Four, who was laughing hysterically, the jerk. The shop clerk shot them a dirty look, but Four ignored them and grabbed a different hanger. It was slightly more cloth than the previous one, and a teal color, but it was still too small by Three's standard. 

"Okay. How about this one?"

Three groaned. "Can't you do something normal like make me eat a frog?" 

Four fixed her with a long suffering look. "Do ya want to eat a frog?" She asked dryly.

Three grimaced for a moment, and Four's expression changed to one of horror. "Holy barracudas Three, you're not actually considering it are you?"

"Um."

"Oh. my. cod. No, here." She shoved a different hanger into Three's hands. 

This dress was black, with a heart shaped neckline, thin straps and by her estimate, would come down to her knees. It had some colorful lace over the bottom that looked like ocean waves. It was certainly pretty, but Three still had no interest in it. Although if she had to buy _something_ to get Four off her back, she could deal with this over the other ones.

Four grinned as she dragged Three to the counter. "I expect details tomorrow!"

***

It was getting close to bedtime and yet Three was still in the bathroom. Eight knocked on the door again, worried. 

"Hey Three? Is everything okay in there? You've been in there for awhile..."

"I'll - I'll be out in a minute." 

Eight sighed and sat back down on the bed. Three had acted very dodgy when she'd gotten home from shopping with Four, hiding the floral shopping bag as soon as she'd gotten in. She seemed distracted at dinner too. Eight checked her phone, looking at the funny texts Four had sent her shortly after Three had gotten home.

**Four: Hey did Three get in okay?**

**Eight: Yes she just walked in! Did you guys have fun?**

**F: totally! She lost a bet to me hahaha**

**E: omc really? How did that happen**

**F: she underestimated me lol. Anyway, she has a surprise for you!**

**E: a surprise?**

**F: yes, as part of our bet she had to do anything I asked, but instead of taking advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity, I decided to use my powers for good and surprise you!**

**E: lol, no wonder Three calls you a menace!**

Four had simply sent a little Devil emoji in response. Eight had tried to ask Three about the surprise but all she did was blush and tell her she'd find out later. But now she wondered if Four had made Three promise to do something embarrassing. She didn't want Three to feel bad over a stupid bet. And she was certainly going to give Four the business after this if that were the case.

"Three!" She called, moving towards the bathroom again. "Whatever Four said, you don't have to-"

The door swung open and Eight completely lost her train of thought. Three was standing there, wearing a mostly black dress. The blue wave pattern along the hem complemented her orange ink color perfectly. She was tugging on one of her tentacles and staring hard at the floor in embarrassment. Eight wasn't sure she'd ever seen Three wear a dress before. 

"Um." Three murmured. "Surprise."

"Wow."

Three looked up then, an indecipherable expression on her face. "Wow?"

Eight swallowed, her mouth dry. "Yes?"

"Do you like it?"

"Yes"

"It feels weird."

"It looks weird." Eight said, and immediately wished she could punch herself in the face. 

Three's face crumpled. "I knew this was a stupid idea." 

Eight rushed to her. "No, no, wait, I'm sorry that came out wrong! That came out so, so wrong, I'm an idiot, okay, you look great. It's different, not what I'm used to, but it looks great!"

"Do you, like it better than what I usually wear?" Three asked shyly.

"Why does my opinion matter? You don't have to change your style for me."

"That wasn't an answer Eight."

Eight sighed. "I like what you normally wear. Was this the surprise?"

Three sighed. "It's part of it. There's another part and frankly I wish I didn't have to do it in these weird clothes."

"So take them off?" Eight was confused. If she wasn't comfortable, why not just change the clothes?

"Ugh, no that was part of the stupid deal. I have to play in the dress. Which is fucking stupid. But that was the bet and I'm not giving Four the satisfaction of beating me twice." 

Eight laughed at that, because it was just so _Three_. Three went to her closet and began digging in the back of it, making quite a lot of noise as she tossed many weapons from it. Eight sat down on the bed, waiting, and, if she were being honest, enjoying the view of Three's backside from where the dress had risen up.

"Ugh, where the fuck is it. I know I didn't put it that far in here."

"Three, what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for... **WOOMY!** Found it!" Three popped out of the closet triumphantly holding an oddly shaped black case. "This is my super special secret that only one other person knows about, and that person somehow ended up being Four."

She dropped it on the bed and Eight watched as she undid the silver latches and lifted the top. Inside was what looked to her almost like a tiny guitar, its dark brown wood shiny and clean. It was about the length of her arm, and there was a long stick inside next to it.

"What is that?"

"A violin. Also sometimes called a fiddle. Like most other instruments, it's based on old human relics, however, the original invention of the violin is pretty old even by human standards."

Eight looked at it awe struck. It was lovely. Then an odd thought struck her.

"Wait, Three, why do you have one?"

"That's the secret," and then she grabbed the stick, which Eight noticed had many threads on one side, and hefted the violin under her chin, and she began to draw the stick across its strings.

Eight had never heard anything like it. The sound was sweet and reverential and she wondered how humans had managed to create something so beautiful out of hollow wood and metal strings. The moonlight was coming through the window and shining on Three like a spotlight, the silvery light blending with the soft glow of her tentacles. The slight movement of her dress as she played made the waves on it look like they were actually moving. But it was the look of pure, engrossing concentration on Three's face that made Eight's hearts thump in triple time. 

When the song finished it left an audible silence. Three let out a breath and spoke.

"So what did you think?" She turned to Eight and saw tears in her eyes. "Oh no, why are you crying?!" She rushed to the bed, discarding the violin on the nightstand.

"I'm crying?" Eight said, and pressed a shaky hand to her cheek. It came away wet, but Three was right there, wiping her face and kissing her. 

"Don't cry, it's okay" the inkling whispered. 

"Three, that was - how did you do that?" 

Three scrunched her face up even as she brushed Eight's tentacles from her face. "My parents are classically trained musicians. They work in an orchestra. There was no way for me *not* to play an instrument."

"What's an orchestra?"

"It's like a band, but larger, and they only play classical instruments like violins, cellos, trumpets, not stuff you usually hear in Inkopolis."

"You're _amazing_"

Three blushed at that. "Nah, I'm out of practice to be honest. You should hear my mom though, now she's amazing."

"Mmhm" Eight hummed while tugging at the straps on Three's dress. "Ya know Three, I think I figured out the problem with this dress."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's still on you."

Three burst into laughter at that. Then she put the violin case by the nightstand where her violin still sat and jumped into the bed next to Eight. "Well then fix it dummy!"

The next day, the two of them met up with Four in Inkopolis Square. Four waved to them and grinned. "Three," she said laughing. "The dress was supposed to be for you!"

Eight twirled in the black dress. "I dunno, I think it looks pretty good on me!"

"Once again, Four saves the day!"

Three rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, more like started the apocalypse."

The two Inklings continued to banter as they walked, Eight right behind them, humming the violin song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, sorry this one took a few days! I kept changing ideas lol. By the way, if any of you guys use tumblr you can find me there at hyruleoctoling! You can even make requests if you wanted. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this one, we got to see Four!


	5. Rollerskating!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Squid Squad go rollerskating! Cameos by the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook!

"Hey Eight have you ever been roller skating?"

Eight, mid bite of her Crusty Seanwich, looked up at Marina in confusion. "Wahs ro'er skat'n?"

Marina wrinkled her nose. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Roller skating is awesome!" Pearl interjected. "You put on wheeled shoes and zoom around a giant room to music!"

Wheeled.... shoes? That didn't sound right, Eight thought as she finished chewing. "Did you say wheeled shoes? As in, you put wheels...._on_ the shoes?"

"Yeah! Tiny ones! And then you can speed around the room and dance and stuff!"

"Slow down Pearl, I think your confusing her," Marina laughed. "Roller skates," she said, holding up her phone. "Are specialized boots with wheels on them."

On the screen were a pair of tan colored boots with a flat metal bottom on which four brightly colored wheels were attached. They looked dangerous in Eight's opinion. 

"It takes some practice to use them, as you can't move the way you normally do. But once you get the basics down it's pretty fun." 

"Pearl said something about music?"

Marina nodded. "Right, well, most people go to a skating rink, which is a building specifically for roller skating and sometimes has arcade games. It's got a big, shiny hardwood floor that everyone can skate on. They usually play music and have strobe lights."

"That kind of sounds like a concert."

"Hell yeah! It's definitely a big party. And you can dance while skating!" Pearl chimed. 

Eight gave Pearl a skeptical look. How could one dance on wheels? Cars couldn't dance. Bikes couldn't dance. It was completely illogical.

"Okay, okay, I see you don't believe me, so we have no choice but to take you!" Pearl said, throwing her hands in the air. Marina just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Actually, we'll do one better, we'll have a skating party! We can invite Four and Callie and Marie! It'll be fun!"

"Yay!" Eight squealed.

***

"How do you always manage to drag me into these things?"

Eight giggled as she tied the roller skate on Three's foot. "It must be my Octarian charms."

Three rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh yeah, definitely. Tell me, did you learn it from DJ Octavio?"

Eight laughed again and started on Three's other skate. The Inkling was slouched back on one of the skating rink's benches, doing her best to look casually disinterested. Eight knew it was a ruse however, as the ends of Three's tentacles were curled and tense. It was a tell that Eight had only noticed recently. Three was, frankly, incredibly good at concealing her emotions.

Finished with the laces, she stood carefully, as she already had her skates on. Three eyed her, clearly prepared tp catch her should her feet decide to defy gravity as they had when she'd first tried to stand up. Eight rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head at the memory. 

"This is stupid. One of us is going to get hurt." Three grumbled.

Eight smiled as she tried shifting her weight a bit. "Oh come on. You just don't like trying new things."

"New things are how I ended up in a manhole cover with a crazy old man telling me the Great Zapfish had been stolen and I was the only one who could save it."

Eight rolled her eyes. "As I recall, new things are also how we met."

Three went to open her mouth to respond and, thinking better of it, simply folded her arms and snapped her beak shut. 

"Uh huh, that's what I thought."

Suddenly they heard the slam of the door, followed by a familiar booming voice echoing across the room. **"HELLOOOOOO INK VALLEY SKATE RINK!"** In the doorway stood Pearl, with Four, Marina, Callie and Marie following behind her. 

The other patrons all stared at the group of idols in shock as they went to the counter. Four glided up to the other two agents on sleek, shiny black and gold skates. Eight marveled at how smoothly and confidently she moved, especially since the wheels of her skates were in a single line, unlike her own borrowed skates, whose wheels were in a more balance friendly square formation.

"Wow, Four, your skates are cool!"

Four grinned. "Thanks! These are actually called roller _blades_ to be more accurate."

"I see!" Eight said, crouching down carefully to get a better look. Her feet slid around anyway, but she managed to keep her balance. "I imagine they are called so because the wheels are in a single, narrow line, like a blade?"

"Yup! These are my personal pair too."

"Of course they are." Three sneered. "Why am I not surprised you do this crap on the regular?" 

Four raised an eyebrow. "Wow, who pissed in your woom-i-o's this morning?"

"Pearl did."

"Did somebody say my name?" Pearl said skating up with ease. She was wearing a cream colored sweatsuit and pink and white skates. 

"Maybe you were hallucinating" Marie answered dryly, rolling up behind the smaller squid. Eight was rather shocked at seeing Marie dressed in a simple black tunic and gray tights, with a pale green cardigan, as she'd never seen the idol dressed so casually. 

Callie was dressed in her normal casual wear of a white tank top, pink cardigan and black shorts. Marina was right behind her in a gray sweater dress and black jeans. All three were wearing the same rented brown skates as Eight and Three.

"Wow, everyone's here? And no mobs? Impressive!" Callie said grinning. Music started pumping from the speakers and the lights lowered. 

"Let's get this party started!" Pearl said, pukping her hands in the air.

***

Three struggled to stay upright on the slick wood of the rink. Her knuckles were pale and aching from gripping the wall so hard. She glanced around for the others, spotting Marina and Marie almost immediately. They were casually skating around talking to each other. Pearl and Callie seemed to be having the most fun, singing and dancing to the music overhead. _Fucking show offs_. Ahead of her, Four was instructing Eight on the proper way to move. She seemed to be getting the hang of it. Three was glad of that. _At least one of us is happy_, she thought with a grimace. 

She almost busted her ass trying to slide forward. She cursed and tried to slow her racing pulse. Of all the things she wasn't good at, it would be this fucking -

"Need some help?"

Three almost jumped. She was rarely startled, but she'd been concentrating so hard on staying upright that Four had managed to sneak up on her.

"Where's Eight?"

Four pointed a ways forward. Eight was actually moving! Still close to the wall, but certainly better than she was doing.

"You gotta push forward with one foot at a time." Four said with a nod towards Three's feet. Three looked down at her accursed skates.

"You realize they _both_ have wheels on them right?"

Four rolled her eyes. "No shit. Look, you know how on an inkrail you balance your weight forward?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well it's sorta like that. Except it's not ink and gravity moving you forward, it's you."

"That's not as helpful as you think it is." Three grunted. She slipped, and felt Four's hands grabbing her arm. 

Four righted her and proceeded to coach her through moving her feet. It was embarrassing as others skated past them with the same ease Three completed missions. Somehow even Eight managed to go all the way around the rink by the time Three managed to actually move without needing Four to hold her up.

"Wow, Three, I can't believe there's something I'm better at than you!" Eight teased. 

"I wouldn't say that. There's plenty you're better 'an me at. You're prettier than me by a long shot."

Eight blushed, bright pink ink glowing under her brown skin. "S-shut up! I-I'm faster than you too!"

"Oh please, there are snails who are faster than me right now. But you're so pretty, if you got paid for being cute you'd be a millionaire."

Four laughed as Eight sputtered. "This was supposed to be me teasing you!" she said, covering her face. "How did you turn it around on me?"

Three grinned, moving a little faster now. "Everyone knows I've got the best comebacks."

"Oh my cod, get a room!" Four said, skating away with a laugh. Three and Eight watched as she zipped around the room, skating expertly around everyone else. 

"Holy fuck, she really is good." Three said in awe. Eight nodded in agreement as Four came out of a spin and proceeded to skate backwards. 

The speakers crackled over the music as the announcer's voice broke through. _"And now squids and kids, we're gonna have us a little slow jam. Enjoy the next few songs and take it slow."*_

The music changed to a slow song, followed by the lights changing to a soft blue.

"Guess this is our song huh?" Eight gently elbowed Three.

Three snickered, grabbing Eight's hand as they slowly skated together. 

"Course it is. Who else would it be for?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I'm sorry it took so long for me to update! I got a bit of writer's block after the last chapter! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this one!


	6. A Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight and Three are out to lunch. Just a bit of fluff

The line to the Crust Bucket was unusually long today. Granted, the Square itself was abnormally busy for a Wednesday afternoon, with quite a few Inklings and Octolings milling about between Turf Wars. The weather had turned chilly, so there were quite a few sweaters and jackets seeing use.

Eight glanced at Three, who, to the uninformed observer was a model of casual disinterest. She was actually dressed rather fresh today, wearing an expensive Toni Kensa Dark Bomber jacket (stolen from Four) and black jeans. A pair of 18k aviator glasses hid her sharp, attentive gaze as she scanned the crowd. Eight herself wore her Forge Custom Painted F-3 that Marina had gifted her, and fluff lined leggings. They were quite the fashionable pair, garnering whispers and, from one small group of Inklings, what appeared to be note taking. 

Eight had to admit that she enjoyed the attention a little, as they weren't usually dressed so nice, and they certainly looked out of place for standing in line at the Crust Bucket. Three was staunchly ignoring the onlookers, her only concern making sure no one bothered them. Eight always liked when Three would dress up for dates, though she rarely commented on it out loud. Three got flustered easily when it came to clothes, and Eight didn't mind the way her girlfriend normally dressed anyway. But it was always nice when she pulled out the "fancy duds" as Pearl would say. 

"What are you thinking about?" Three asked, breaking through her musing. 

"Nothing, really. Just that you look very nice today."

"Hmph." Three muttered, going back to watching the crowd. Eight could see a faint blush of ink creep up her cheeks though. Eight simply smiled and grabbed the inkling's hand as the line moved forward. 

"So," she said swinging Three's arm. "What's the plan for after lunch?"

"Shopping I guess. You wanted to see Booyah Base right?"

"Yes! I saw the cutest hat at Cooler Heads and -"

"Excuse me?" A squeaky, unfamiliar voice cut in. The pair turned to see a pink haired Inkling nervously wringing the hem of her sweatshirt. Standing about ten feet away, Eight could see her friends all watching nervously. They couldn't have been more than 14.

"Can we help you?" Three sneered. Eight elbowed her and smiled at the younger Inkling.

"Don't mind her. Do you need something? A dollar for the vending machine maybe?"

"Ah, no, um. I was, I mean, my friends and I -"

"Cod, spit it out already!" Three said impatiently. Eight glared at her before smiling at the younger Inkling encouragingly.

"My friends and I were wondering if you were idols? L-like Marina and Pearl?"

"Oh! Goodness no." Eight said. The Inkling visibly relaxed.

"Are you guys like, models or something then?"

"Models of bad decisions" Three deadpanned. Eight elbowed her again as she snickered.

"No, we're not models" Eight answered, brushing a tentacle behind her ear. "Just dressed a little extra fresh today. Did you have any other questions?" 

"Um," the pink Inkling said. "We really wanted to know where you got your clothes!" 

"Hell."

"_THREE_," Eight hissed.

"Sorry, sorry. Hell's outlet mall. Level 9. Get's pretty cold there."

Eight let out an exasperated sigh while Three simply stared straight ahead, a small, but extremely satisfied smile on her face. The poor younger Inkling just watched them in confusion, still twisting her shirt hem. Eight shook her head and turned back to the girl.

"I'm sorry about her. Here, do you have a notebook? I can give you the names of a few places for fresh clothes."

Eight gave the girl the names of the website that Four often used for clothes shopping, as well as the shops in the Galleria, and soon she was back with her friends who could be heard squealing in glee. After they had ordered their food and found seats, Eight poked Three in the arm.

"You could've been nice you know."

"That's your job" Three said matter-of-factly before taking a bite of her Seanwich.

"Three."

Three loudly slurped her drink. "Listen, we both know you're a better person than me. We also know that I am _not_ a people person. And besides, I wasn't mean, just sarcastic."

"....would you have talked to me like that when I first got to Inkopolis?"

Three put her sandwich down and leveled Eight with a serious expression.

"That's not the same thing."

"But it is, isn't it? I didn't know anything about the Surface. If we had met on the street, how can you say you wouldn't have snarked at me instead of helping me?"

"I...." Three screwed her face up. She had no answer. And if she was really, truly honest, she *couldn't* say whether or not she would've helped, if the circumstances were the same.

"Three?"

"I'm sorry."

"Okay." Eight squeezed her hand. "You are a good person you know."

"You're biased" Three said, her usual smirk returning. Eight laughed.

"You always say that!"

"It's true! Anything you say about me is propaganda."

"Propaganda!" She said, shaking her head and grinning. "You're impossible."

Three gasped dramatically. "Barracudas! Has she uttered a truth? What ever shall the populace make of it? Alas, all lies must contain a kernel of the truth to be believed."

Eight laughed brightly at that, her cheeks colored with mirth and cold. Three couldn't hide her own smile, even with the odd stares from the other diners nearby. Once they'd finished eating, Three held her arm out to Eight.

"So, how about we get that hat of yours?"

"Sounds like a date!" Eight teased as she grabbed Three's arm. With that, they made their way to the train for Booyah Base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, An update! I hope you guys like it. I'm sorry about the ending though, I couldn't figure out a good way to finish it out.


	7. New Year's Kiss

Three tapped her foot impatiently as the line inched forward. Mako Mart was hella crowded; she cursed for waiting until the last minute to buy booze and snacks. Granted, she wasn't technically legally allowed to buy them, as the minimum age was 21 and she was 19. But when it was this crowded, the cashier's tended to be a bit lax about checking IDs. She also was the only one who could pull it off. Four was not only too young, she had the baby face to prove it. Eight was a terrible liar. And Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters would get mobbed by their fans. Her phone buzzed. A message from Four.

_**Four**: where are you? Didja get the goods?_

  
_**Three**: I'm in line, chill_

  
_**Four**: hurry up!_

Three glanced at the line and sighed. One person moved forward, so she went back to texting.

_**Three**: How's Eight? Are you guys at Callie and Marie's yet?_

  
_**Four**: she's totally antsy, she thinks you're gonna get arrested lol_

  
_**Four**: yeah we're here, did you know they live in a regular house? It's so weird!_

  
_**Three**: not everyone wants to live in a giant mansion you dork_

The line moved forward, and she could finally see the cashier. It was an Inkling, about her age, maybe a year or two older. They looked exhausted. They were checking out an older Inkling woman's groceries, and right as they got to the last item, the computer froze.

_Fuck_, Three thought.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I need to ring my supervisor so she can reset the register." The cashier said wearily.

"What? This is ridiculous! Just let me pay." The older woman replied.

"I can't, the system is frozen."

"So you're not going to let me pay? The card reader works just fine!" She swiped her card, and the machine made a loud beeping. Three's hackles went up at the woman's tone.

"Ma'am, the system is frozen, it won't accept any input."

"This is outrageous! Give me my purchase!"

The cashier looked defeated as they simply repeated that they would have to wait for the manager, while the woman went on a loud tirade about bad service. Three looked around, spotting the manager from across the store. No one else was intervening, just keeping their heads down and trying to get out of the store as quickly as possible. The woman was now jabbing the poor cashier in the chest. Three had had enough.

"Hey, you entitled pile of rotten fish guts, would you shut the _FUCK_ up?" She screamed over the woman. The woman stared at her, as well as everyone else in complete silence.

"What did you just say to me?"

"I said shut the fuck up! This poor kid has probably been here all goddamn day, serving entitled ass shit for brains like you who couldn't be bothered to show up literally any other time of the week for your cheap grill meats and buns that taste like paper! Give them a fucking break! It's not their fault that we all waited until the last minute and broke the fucking machines!"

The manager cleared her throat, having walked up while Three had been yelling. The irate woman turned to face her, looking smug.

"Oh, good, finally someone with some authority! I want this awful child thrown out! She is atrociously disrespectful and harassing me!"

The manager looked at Three, and then back at the woman. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the store.

The woman's face dropped, and she began sputtering in shock. "I'm a paying customer! And I was just verbally assaulted by this, this girl!"

"Ma'am, you verbally abused my employee, and that girl defended her. I'm not in the business of letting people treat my employees so poorly. Please leave, or I will have to call security."

The woman scoffed and stormed out, ranting about how she'd never return. A collective sigh of relief went through the store once she was gone.

"I can take your things for you," the manager said to Three with a smile.

Three put her items on the belt, and the manager started ringing up her snacks.

"Thank you for that by the way. It's been so hectic today, I meant to send that cashier home an hour ago."

Three shrugged. "I hate people like that. The cashier is just trying to do their job, and then jerks take it personally when shit happens."

The manager picked up one of the six packs she'd placed on the belt, and then stopped. She searched Three's face carefully.

"Are you old enough to buy these?"

Three shrugged. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"Absolutely not."

Three made a face. "I figured that might be the case."

The manager sighed, swiping her lanyard across the scanner. Then she bagged the six packs, the sparkling wine, and the nonalcoholic cider.

"This is a one time deal." She said, handing Three her bags. "Understand?"

"You are a saint."

"Get out of here," she said, pointing at the door. Three grinned, wishing her a happy new year, and fled from the store.

*******

Eight paced near the door. Three was late. Three was rarely ever late. She must have been stopped by the police. What if she couldn't call them? What if-

A hand came down on her shoulder. "Eight, honey, you need to come sit down" Marina said calmly. Eight pressed her face against the window in the door.

"She's not here yet."

"You worry too much! Four just said that she's on her way."

"But-"

Marina spun her around and looked her in the eye. "Three will be _fine_. She's dealt with lots of things. A shopping trip is the least dangerous thing she's ever done. She. Will. Be. Fine."

"**_Woomy_**!" Four shouted from the other room. "Sheldon is gonna modify the fireworks!"

Marina's eyes went wide with slight panic. "Four", she said, walking back to the livingroom, "what does that mean?"

Eight went back to watching the window. Were those headlights? She rushed outside, forgetting her coat, as the taxi pulled up the driveway. Out popped Three, several bags in hand. Eight bounced in place as she waited for Three to pay the driver, and as soon as the taxi pulled away, she had launched herself at Three.

"Woah!" Three said, nearly dropping the bags.

"You were late! Are you okay? Don't ever be late again!"

Three chuckled and put her arm around Eight, carefully holding all the bags in one hand.

"I'm okay, I just went shopping. The lines were just long as hell."

"Still, I was worried." Eight shivered, suddenly aware she was outside in the snow without a jacket.

"Come on. Let's go inside."

The New Squidbeak Splatoon were clustered in the Squid Sisters livingroom, an average sized space that was decked out with a plush couch, armchair and loveseat, and a thick rug. The fireplace was lit, and Cap'n Cuttlefish was tending it at the moment. Marina and Pearl were curled up on the loveseat, while Callie and Marie sat on opposite ends of the couch. Four was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, I'm back." Three said, dropping her bags on the floor.

Marie glanced at the bags. "Those go in the kitchen, you know."

"Yeah, and you know exactly where it all goes too."

Marie and Three stared at each other for a beat, and then Marie rolled her eyes and took the bags in the kitchen.

"I need you to teach me how to do that one day," Callie snickered.

"Nah, it's a power too great for any mere mortal to wield." Three said. "Speaking of something too great to control, it's too quiet in here. Where's Four?"

"Getting Sheldon. Apparently he's modified some fireworks?"

Marina shook her head. "I'm a little terrified to be honest. Who modifies fireworks?"

Pearl grinned. "I think it's fucking great! New year's ringing in, a blaze of glory, fireworks higher then a building, ten stories!"

Three groaned. "Pearl, that might be your worst one yet."

"Well, I'm just excited to see fireworks for the first time." Eight chimed. She squeezed Three's hand and smiled at her. Three felt her hearts skip a beat, squeezing her hand back.

She was going to start the new year with Eight. With friends too, something that she could never have imagined when she first arrived in Inkopolis.

The door crashed open then, with Four sliding into the room, her wet boots leaving a streak of slush on the hardwood.

"The fuuuuun, has arriiiiived!" She said in a sing song voice.

"I have also arrived!" Sheldon said, waddling in after her. He had a massive case, carried by his drone, and an armful of fireworks. It all looked highly illegal.

"Please tell me you aren't setting that off in the yard." Callie said with a cringe.

"No, no, of course not! We will take my truck to a suitable location. Come on everyone, grab a basket and blankets, we're going on a picnic!" Sheldon said, waddling back out the door.

"Well, okay then." Marina said. She looked at Four. "Since this was your idea, go help Marie in the kitchen pack some food. The rest of us will be waiting outside.

*******

They had found a small hill just outside the city. They could see in the distance that city officials were setting up for the official fireworks. Luckily, they were far enough away that they probably wouldn't get in trouble for setting off their own fireworks. Probably. Sheldon had set up some kind of Launcher for the fireworks, _'for safety, of course'_ he had said. _'Wouldn't want anyone to lose a hand!'_

Eight watched the others as they got comfortable. Mostly, she watched Three. This had been such a wild year after everything with the Metro, and adjusting to life in Inkopolis. Through it all she had her friends, and she had Three.

"What are you staring at, huh?" Three asked with a sly grin.

Eight smiled back. "Oh, nothing, just some girl."

"Oh really? What's so special about this girl to get your attention?"

"Hmm. Well, despite her outward demeanor, she's kind, and loving, and protective of her friends."

Three's smug attitude faltered for a second. "Sounds a bit far fetched to me."

"Not at all. She's always looking out for people, and she even volunteered to rescue the Great Zapfish for total strangers! She answered a distress call in a super dangerous situation too, even though she had no idea who was calling for her help."

Three looked away and cleared her throat. "You make me sound like a hero."

"Well, you are. I'd be primordial ooze if it weren't for you."

"Almost time for the countdown!" Four shouted. Marie was seated next to her, and Callie was holding her phone camera up, ready to record. Marina was, hilariously, kneeling behind a seated Pearl, staring at Sheldon's contraption with slight trepidation.

"You know," Three said, looking back at Eight. "You're my hero too."

Eight blushed. "I was only one at the end."

Three gripped her hands. "Yeah, but you also did all those tests on your own. No memories, three random strangers saying they'll help, but no way to know if it's true. That's like, a legendary trials kind of thing."

Eight laughed. The rest of their crew started counting down.

"**TEN**!"

"I love you." She said, scooting closer to Three.

"**EIGHT**!"

"I love you too."

"**SIX**!"

"Here's to another year then?"

"**FOUR**!"

"As many as you'll have me."

"**TWO**!"

They leaned together and kissed as fireworks shot into the sky amid shouts of happy new year.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this one, although it's super short!


End file.
